The culmination of series four saw the birth of an entirely new type of Time Lord. The Human-Time Lord meta-crisis made for a bone of contention with some fans and saw the Doctor use up an additional regeneration without changing his face.
On top of this, it allowed writer Russell T Davies the opportunity to give Rose Tyler a happy ending without affecting the continued adventures of the Doctor. The Doctor-Donna is, in essence, a bonkers idea – but it sort of works for me and the costuming used to delineate between the Doctor and the Doctor-Donna is nothing shy of subtle brilliance.
The use of the Doctor’s alternate blue suit and a simple maroon t-shirt created a clear and obvious distinction between the two characters and made for a fan favourite look many cosplayers still opt for today.
This look is so casual it naturally lends itself to an everyday type of outfit and is incredibly comfortable, yet quirky, when worn. The strong contrast between the shades of red and the shades of blue make for a striking image which will be sure to turn heads, even if those looking don’t fully get the reference.
As with the “Pipe & Slippers” Ten post a couple of weeks ago, the important thing with this look is the balance between the trousers and the cardigan. Many tenth Doctor fans will know how hard it can be finding trousers (or even full suits) that somewhat emulate the tenth Doctor’s classic sense of style. That said, though the trousers selected don’t feature burgundy or maroon pinstripes, they’re a comfortable pair of Armani jeans – and at £114 they may be a little rich for some.
Alternatives, however, are available and you may very well already own a blue pinstripe suit you’d be happy to pinch the trousers from. If, however, you’re sadly bereft of blue trousers, these Topman skinny suit trousers have a beautiful colour and semi-formal cut – and if you fancied it you could even grab the jacket and wear it with this outfit in place of the cardigan. As ever, with Topman, it’d be wise to size up. In addition to these, I also found these beautiful Linea herringbone blue trousers which feature a very subtle stripe detail to them – they’re currently on sale and feature a very similar cut to Tennant’s original suit trousers.
As ever, many other pairs of blue, semi-formal trousers are available – and even a pair of chinos would create the same type of effect. The point is, there are options at all price points so I’m sure you’ll find something to suit your tastes and your wallet.
The cardigan selected is a pique cotton option from Marks & Spencer. The pique cotton makes for a really beautiful texture and elevates the outfit without compromising on colour. The colour is a different shade of blue to the trousers in order to avoid it looking a bit too matchy-matchy. In addition to this, any mid-blue to navy cardigan will suit your needs and the Edinburgh Woollen Mill has an excellent range of basic cardigans which would also suit – I happen to own the one linked here and it’s very soft and comfortable – a perfect everyday staple!
The maroon t-shirt used in the show was rather basic, so I’ve selected a richly coloured option by G-Star which features a Henley or “grandad” style placket. The use of buttons on the shirt helps to break up the otherwise plain effect the outfit creates and gives a very cool vintage vibe. If, however, this isn’t to your taste, any maroon or burgundy t-shirt will suit this outfit just as well, and Topman currently have this one available for £7.
Perhaps one of the most important details of any tenth Doctor-inspired outfit is the Converse. Fans will know that the Doctor always wore maroon Converse with his blue suit, and the Doctor-Donna is no different. The colour of the Converse closely matches that of the t-shirt and helps to tie the entire look together – these ones are currently available from Office but can be found from loads of online sellers.
I also saw that Office have these shearling lined maroon suede Converse on sale at the moment and I thought they’d make a welcome addition to any Doctor Who fans’ autumn or winter wardrobe – they’re currently only £30 and they’re available in a selection of smaller sizes – it’d be wise to grab a bargain while you can!
An additional detail I’ve selected for this look is a nato style watch strap. These are fantastic straps which are easily interchanged and allow you to match the strap to the outfit you’re wearing with ease. I personally own ten straps and use them all fairly regularly – when worn with your favourite watch they make for a comfortable, stylish, and cost-effective accessory.
I’d always suggest you double check the lug size on your watch before ordering as it can be somewhat irksome to have to return a watch strap. The one presented here is one of the excellent offerings from Monkey Swag and matches the rest of the outfit really well.
What do you think to this look? Have you ever worn a Doctor-Donna influenced outfit before? As ever, be sure to share your favourite Doctor Who inspired looks!
An Adventure With Ties In Space 